


Take These Broken Wings And Make Them Yours

by goodlivin2u



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Wing Grooming, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 08:23:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12908022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodlivin2u/pseuds/goodlivin2u
Summary: After losing his angel wings in The Fall, Castiel attempts to fashion a new set. It doesn't go exactly as planned, so he needs Dean's help.





	Take These Broken Wings And Make Them Yours

It happens right after The Fall.

Castiel wouldn’t hurt a hair on a baby’s head – or an animal for that matter. But whenever he finds a lone feather on the ground, he collects it. Dean doesn’t know why, and at first doesn’t pay much attention to it. He chalks it up to being one of Castiel’s personal quirks, like his love of bees. Other days, he thinks it might remind Cas of his home. 

One day after a hunt, though, Dean knocks on Cas’ bedroom door. Cas obviously didn’t hear Dean come in, and is busy doing something with his hands.

“Cas? Hey, hey. Woah. What are you doing?” 

Dean notices the surgical string and needle – instantly going into panic mode.

“Are you hurt?” 

Cas still doesn’t look up, but he hums an answer. He turns around, trying to reach something on his back when Dean finally sees. 

There is a masterpiece of feathers sewn into Cas’ shoulders where his real wings should be. Well…Dean wouldn’t exactly call it a ‘masterpiece,’ seeing as Cas has never correctly sewn a stitch before. The collected feathers are on top of one another in a messy collage. But Dean doesn’t deny that the sight is beautiful. It’s…breathtaking, to say the least. 

There must be at least twenty, maybe fifty feathers on his back. Each one is different from the last. Some are black, or brown, or light blue. They have gold and white highlights on the sides and edges. There’s glints of jeweltones like dark purple and forest green mixed in. Dean wants to run his fingers through them, wants to see them up close and feel them beneath his fingers. But he’s suddenly afraid to move, either worried about scaring Castiel as if he were an animal, or ending this magic he unexpectedly witnessed. 

Cas finally makes eye contact with Dean, and the feather in his hand falls to the floor. 

“Hey.” Dean bends to pick up the discarded plume and holds eye contact with Castiel for a few moments. 

“Let me.” Dean reaches out his other hand for the surgical string and accompanying needle. Cas gives them to him slowly, as if unsure if he wants to share this private ritual. 

Dean leads Cas to the bed, and motions for him to sit down. Cas faces away from Dean, so he can get a better look at what to do next. 

Dean sees other feathers scattered on the bed, contemplating where to put them as if they were puzzle pieces and Cas was the final picture. He decides to stick to the basics and do it as Castiel has been – one by one. Dean fumbles with the feather, trying to figure out where to put it. He tucks it under a layer already created, and moves to make it permanent with the string. He can’t thread the needle, though, as his eyesight has gotten worse over the years. 

“Cas, can you…” Dean holds out the needle and string, silently asking for help. Cas takes them in his long, slender hands, moving quickly and fluidly as if this is the most natural thing in the world. 

“Uh… thanks,” Dean says. 

The needle pierces Castiel’s skin, and he makes a small sound. Dean goes slowly, but the skin is already puffing up around it and drawing blood to the surface.   
It feels like they do this for hours until all the feathers have been used up. Dean’s arranged them to have the larger ones closest to Cas’ skin and at the bottom of his spine, with the shorter ones on top and following the shape of his shoulders. 

Dean never undid Cas’ previous work, seeing as it was sacred and part of the process – the grieving and healing process he hadn’t known Cas was going through. When Dean is finally done, he leads Cas to the full-length mirror on the wall. Castiel’s back is on display, but Dean manipulates Cas’ head so he can see the work. 

“So…? What do you think?” Dean asks.

Cas stays silent. For a minute, Dean thinks Cas is upset with him. Dean regrets intervening, thinking he should have never come in. All of a sudden, though, Dean is thrown off balance by a hug. He lets Cas stay there in his arms, and feels tears drip down his neck.

“Thank you,” Cas says. It comes out as a whisper, like a prayer – but from an angel’s mouth. He pulls back and looks at Dean.

“I missed my wings.”

“I know, Cas. I know.”

Dean gathers up the first-aid supplies and moves towards the door, looking at Cas one more time before leaving.

It becomes their thing from then on. They don’t speak of it, and Dean doesn’t give Cas feathers that he finds. No, this is entirely Cas’ project. Dean’s only there to help.

Little by little, Cas’ mood starts to pick up. He still is sad for his fallen brothers and sisters, but he himself is getting more comfortable with his own situation.   
Cas never shows anyone his new wings, but he knows they’re there. It’s his gift to himself – a reclaiming of his identity.


End file.
